fisherman’s ring

fisherman’s ring, the pope’s signet ring; it shows St. Peter as a fisherman and has the reigning pope’s name inscribed around the border. Used since the 13th century as a seal for private letters and since the 15th century for papal briefs, it is one of two papal seals, the other being the leaden bull (bulla). The ring, which each newly elected pope receives, is publicly broken after the pope’s death by the cardinal camerlengo.